Casey Donahew – Double-Wide Dream (2011)

As quick to mention classic rock as an influence as rough-hewn country, Casey Donahew has carved out a place on the Texas Red Dirt circuit. With his eponymous band in tow, Donahew has toured constantly through Texas and Oklahoma, playing to ever-increasing audiences. He specializes in redneck anthems -- one of his breakthrough songs was called "White Trash Story" -- but he has a sensitive side that surfaced on the open-hearted, hooky "Kiss Me," which became his first charting country single in 2017. Two years later, he issued One Light Town, which debuted at number two on the Billboard Country Album Sales chart. 2022 saw the release of the rabble-rousing, honky tonk-leaning Built Different, with the catchy and heartfelt Never Not Love You arriving in 2024.

Born and raised in Burleson, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Donahew started playing local bars in 2002. His live show would evolve into a Springsteen-like event for Texas' younger bar crowd, maintaining a high energy level throughout an extra-long set that would be broken up with playful diversions like country-rock covers of "Ice Ice Baby" or 50 Cent's "In da Club." Pam Minick, from Texas' famed club Billy Bob's, took notice, and when she hired Donahew for a headlining spot, the college-age crowd came with him. This demographic was a perfect fit for the singer's indie "Donahew-It-Yourself" attitude, and when he released the album Lost Days in 2005, he sold as many albums on the Internet as he did at shows. Mentioning all his favorite places in Fort Worth, a track from the album called "Stockyards" would become the theme for the city's Brahmas hockey franchise. With guitarist Brent Wall, bass player Steve Stone, and drummer Taz now acting as his band, his 2006 release would be simply titled The Casey Donahew Band. The rowdy live album Live-Raw-Real, In the Ville followed in 2008, and a year later, with many of his sales coming from digital download services, he broke into the Billboard charts with his album Moving On, which topped out at 28 on the Country Albums survey. Continuing with his strategy of focusing on his Texas/Oklahoma fan base and delivering a modest but steady promotional push, Donahew's star continued to rise, as 2011's Double-Wide Dream went to number ten on the Country Albums charts (and 32 on the Top 200 albums listing). 2013's StandOff rose even higher, becoming a number seven country hit. Donahew's following grew from a regional phenomenon to a nationwide success, and he expanded his touring circuit deeper into the south and west.

For his 2016 album All Night Party, Donahew brought in an outside producer for the first time, with Josh Leo (best known for his work with Alabama, Love and Theft, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) guiding the sessions. The album generated "Kiss Me," Donahew's first charting single; it peaked at 49 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. The album also had the modest hit "Country Song," which went to 54. In 2017, Donahew released the celebratory 15 Years: The Wild Ride, which contained new versions of old original songs. He reunited with producer Josh Leo for 2019's Billboard-charting One Light Town, and in early 2022, he released Built Different, which included the rowdy, honky tonk single of the same name. Donahew continued to deliver hooks and heart on 2024's Never Not Love You, which included collaborations with Kylie Frey on "Whiskey Talkin’" and Pat Green, Randy Rogers, and Wade Bowen on "Running out of Time."~ David Jeffries